


Beasts of Burden

by bursting_brains



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-16 14:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4629432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bursting_brains/pseuds/bursting_brains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eggsy was still new to the Kingsman, but he's pretty sure someone should have told him about the ways in which the Russian Mafia keep their prisoners from escaping.  </p><p>He realizes now that he was out of his depth, he should have listened to Merlin, and he definitely should have apologized to Harry for punching him in the face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beasts of Burden

**Author's Note:**

> This may completely suck, but it's three in the morning and I've made peace with how this ficlet has turned out thus far.
> 
> It's my first story with the archive, so please be gentle as I pop my fanfiction cherry here. 
> 
> There be violence here, so heed the warnings and enjoy the story. Also, I proofread this myself and it's three in the morning, so the grammar errors are my own fault. Sorry about that. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Now that he thinks about it, Merlin had mentioned that the possibility of this eventually happening was inevitable. In fact, he can remember how Merlin’s face sort of pinched in that ridiculous way as he meticulously ran through various scenarios with Roxy and him.

 

Eggsy wanted to laugh; the unreasonable impulse bloomed in his broken chest and abruptly caught in his throat where blood had coagulated. He coughed harshly, the immense pain forcing him to clench his teeth so hard he was nearly certain he had chipped at least one.

 

He spent the next few minutes hacking up the phlegmy-blood trapped in his esophagus as the men standing by the door laughed and threw insults at him through sneers, in a language he barely understood.

 

The young spy was surprised the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood had allowed him to keep his suit pants on, considering they usually preferred to strip away their victims dignity and sense of security.

 

His shoes, socks, suit jacket, shirt and tie, however, were missing.

 

And to be honest, the blood, sweat, and overall grime covering his once beautifully tailored pants made him wish that they had just stripped him down to his briefs. At least he wouldn’t be quite so uncomfortable with the material glued to his body the way it was.

 

Eggsy took stock of himself. He could only see through his right eye, his left swollen painfully shut and it was nearly impossible to breathe through his nose, which he knew for certain was broken. His ribs would twinge every time he took a breath and he figured at least two were broken with however many more being bruised. There was also the concussion.

 

Eggsy, aka: Galahad Bad-Ass Kingsman Spy could withstand a lot in the way of combat. A piece of broken pipe to the head however, was not one of those things.

 

Once he had come to, in this overly stereotypical room, half naked and without his glasses or any way to communicate with Merlin, he had realized just how severe of an error he had made.

 

Ironically none of those things were even the worst part. He had experienced a lot of violence in his life and a significant amount of that had been unto him, but when that Solntsevskaya goon had driven the first nail through his hand and into the wooden chair arm beneath him, Eggsy had been awakened to entirely new avenues of pain.

 

He remembers screaming himself hoarse as the men laughed and laughed and laughed and shared shots of vodka with one another as if it was some kind of fucking game.

 

Well, Eggsy supposes that to them, it was nothing but. And he had to commend them on their ingenuity. It was definitely going to make it a lot more difficult and much more painful to escape.

 

Galahad, aka: Eggsy Unwin was fucked.

 

Sure, there had been close calls before, he was still a little green to the ways of the Kingsman and being a spy in general, but this was something else entirely. The Kingsman were running on an essential skeleton crew as of late, and he supposes now that he shouldn’t have pushed Merlin so hard after the man had insisted that he would not have enough back up on this mission and to wait for Lancelot to return.

 

It was painful to think that no one would be coming for him, that this was his mess and his mess alone. And he hoped with all of his soul that his mother and sister knew that he was just trying to make them proud, to make his father proud.

 

He should have known better, Harry would have.

 

Harry Hart.

 

Eggsy was still very angry with that posh prick.

 

The day he had walked in to meet the newly appointed Arthur in their office was still burned into his brain, along with the constant reminder of the violence in that Kentucky church and that stupid prick Valentine as he shot Harry Hart point-blank in the eye. It’s on his top-ten most replayed memories, as if he already didn’t have enough nightmares to contend with.

 

This was another thing he should have noticed; the pitying looks his co-workers gave him as he passed them before stopping outside the dark burgundy doors. Merlin had called him in after he’d rapped his knuckles against the heavy door twice.

 

Imagine his surprise to see his old friend and mentor standing behind the desk, staring at Eggsy as he had entered the room. Before he even realized what he was doing, his gun was drawn with the safety expertly clicked off and he was aiming it at the goddamn body-snatcher standing before him.

 

He had caused quite a ruckus, and Eggsy was distantly pleased by how quickly the other members were in the office with their own weapons drawn. It was however, a little disheartening that the weapons were not trained on the skin-suit resembling Harry Hart, but rather himself.

 

It had taken Merlin a full ten minutes to get him to release his weapon to the man and then another thirty to calm him down, in another room, separate from the clone. Eggsy had pointedly ignored the mortified look on Harry Harts evil twin brothers face as he was ushered from the office.

 

_‘That wasn’t how I was expecting that to go,” Merlin had said as he dug his fingers into his forehead and let out a long sigh. ‘Although it is you, and I should have known.”_

_‘Who the fuck is that Merlin?’ Eggsy implored of the other man, his hands shaking erratically._

_Merlin sighed again, taking Eggsy by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. ‘It’s him Eggsy, its Harry. Valentine didn’t properly check his body and the damn glasses managed to disrupt the bullets trajectory. There was some damage to Harry’s eye and his skull was fractured, but after a couple of weeks in an American hospital he was right as rain, save for the scar above his eye.’_

_Eggsy ran his hand across his mouth and frowned at the other man, realization dawning. ‘It’s been nearly eight months Merlin.’_

_Merlin’s face blanched at that. ‘There are protocols Eggsy…’_

_He wasn’t proud of shoving Merlin as hard as he did, the man forced to take several steps back to avoid falling over before raising his hands in a placating manner towards Eggsy. ‘We wanted to tell you Eggsy, understand that Harry would never…’_

_Hot tears ran down Eggsy’s face, a brick lodged firmly in his throat. The betrayal that ran through him was suffocating in a way Eggsy had not felt in a long time. ‘Do you have any fucking idea what it’s been like for me? How could you not Merlin, you’ve been ‘ere the whole fucking time.’_

_Eggsy pushed out of the room and stalked angrily down the hallway, knowing that he had to get out of there before he had a fucking panic attack in front of the entire fucking Kingsmen._

_He had looked up just in time to see Harry standing at the end of the hallway, blocking his path. In his rage, Eggsy had raised his fist, socking the man as hard as his fist would allow._

Looking back, Eggsy realized he couldn’t even remember any of his journey from headquarters to the shop. One minute he was staring down at Harry, who was holding his bloody nose on the ground, the next he was in the presence of suits and the Kingsman tailor.

 

Needless to say, several months have passed and he still has not been able to move past the anger that flares up whenever he sees Harry Hart, aka: The Brand New Fuckwit, Arthur. When the man tries to speak with him, he is polite but cold, and excuses himself as soon as possible.

 

If Eggsy was being completely honest with himself, the reason why he took or rather forced, Merlin to send him out on yet another mission instead of taking some recommended time out, was because he was still utterly pissed at Harry.

 

The young man convinced himself that if he took time out from his Kingsman duties that Harry would come up with some way to force a run-in and make Eggsy speak to him, and Eggsy just wasn’t ready for the yet. He was angry and he was hurt and for some reason he was fucking terrified.

 

So, he attempts to laugh again, his cracked lips complaining at the straining and fissures are opened with blood beginning to well there. One of the Russian goons backhands him again, the one whose hands fit around his entire neck and tried to choke the life out of him earlier as he asked over and over who employed Eggsy.

 

Eggsy was smug to see he had a black eye from their first encounter before he was captured.

 

The blood loss must be getting to him, he realizes as his body lists slightly to the side, his energy sapped. At least he got the files sent off to HQ before he was captured, even if he died there, Galahad’s last mission would be listed as successful.

 

Part of him even felt sorry for Harry, god only knows what his mother was going to do to him once he showed up at their flat to give her the bad news a second time. Eggsy knows it will be Harry, and finds solace in that fact. Harry will know how to comfort his mother, he just hopes he doesn’t give her another medal and that Daisy never has a reason to call and step into the utter chaos that is being a Kingsman Knight.

 

His sweet, dear little sister deserves normal after everything she has been through. Eggsy knows she will take care of JB, knows that those two will continue to get along swimmingly. JB will comfort her once Eggsy is nothing but a picture, a memory, a name.

 

Roxy is going to be pissed; he can already see her punching Merlin, asking him why he let Eggsy go. He was going to miss her, miss that energy, that fire. She was inspired and he was sad he wasn’t going to get to see her set the world ablaze.

 

God, he hopes Merlin doesn’t feel responsible.

 

He’s a stubborn git at best, and this time he was out of his depth.

 

Eggsy pulls experimentally again, cringing as his damaged skin is tugged painfully. He doesn’t think he has the physical strength to rip his hands off the nails, even if he wanted to. His eyes trail to the ground and he knows that there is too much blood on the outside of his body, not at all where it should be.

 

The heavy rope binding his wrists and ankles to the arms and legs are a bit overkill, he thinks.

 

Paranoid fuckers.

 

He isn’t surprised when the big handed goon steps into his eye-line, brandishing a rather sharp knife. Eggsy doesn’t have the energy to raise his head from where it rests against his shoulder and can only watch the man through cracked eyelids. He knew it was likely that they would eventually start removing limbs, defaulting to his fingers, to get him to talk.

 

He won’t, and he’s secure in that knowledge.

 

All Kingsman secrets would go with him to the grave.

 

The Russian laughs, “You hear that Artyom?” He laughs again and looks back at Eggsy, using his free hand to pull his head back by his hair. “All that wet breathing. One of his lungs collapsed.”

 

Now that it was brought to his attention, Eggsy did realize it was actually quite a chore to breathe deeply and the right side of his chest was beginning to smart a lot more. His instinct was to start panicking, but in the back of his mind he could hear Merlin’s voice coaching him to take short, even, bursts of breath and to remain calm.

 

The goon put the knife against his throat and leaned so closely towards Eggsy’s face that the young man could smell his fetid vodka breath. “Not such a pretty thing now, are we? Should we put you out of your misery?”

 

Eggsy almost wished he would. He was tired, and he hurt, and there were fucking nails in the back of his hands, binding him forever to this fucking chair. He didn’t think Harry would blame him for thinking that, there was only so much one man could take, and he knew distantly that he was sidled right up against that invisible line.

 

All of the sudden there was an explosion, and it rocked the room Eggsy was in, the young man could feel the sharp knife slide against the side of his neck, cutting him shallowly.

 

The room was engulfed in darkness, rapid gunfire sounding in the air a ways away, muffled by the door that stays closed at all times. Suddenly, backup lights ping on, pipes overhead making a humming noise as the alternative power throws the room in a dim aurulant.

 

Eggsy can hear angry cursing and shouting and he can’t help but to laugh again, eyes shut tight as his tears make tracks down his dirty cheeks.

 

The other two goons look at each other, wide eyed, before they pull their guns from their waistbands and slowly open the door. They nod silently at each other, guns raised at their shoulders before inching out into what Eggsy can only imagine to be some kind of hallway.

 

There’s more gunfire.

 

Eggsy blames the blood loss for not noticing until the last second that goon number one has shifted the knife into a firmer grip before raising it in a fisted position over his chest.

 

This was going to hurt.

 

Fucking Russian Mafia, using a knife instead of the gun tucked in the back of his pants.

 

What an asshole.

 

The man thrusts the blade downwards.

 

Eggsy closes his eyes.

 

A single shot rings out.

 

It’s deafening, and Eggsy knows the trigger was pulled inside this room.

 

There is a loud thump and Eggsy cracks open his good eye as far as it will currently go.

 

Standing just inside the threshold are none other than Lancelot and Arthur; the barrels of their guns smoking.

 

“Galahad,” Roxy breathes, her eyes wide as she takes the sight of him.

 

Harry pushes past the stunned Knight and drops to his knees in front of Eggsy, and that is when Eggsy realizes he has been stabbed by the knife.

 

“Arthur,” He gets out, knowing he can’t use his real name even though he’s desperate to.

 

The pain was taking precedence. He didn’t think anything could hurt more than nails through the back of his palms.

 

He was wrong.

 

“You’re alright Galahad; everything is going to be alright. We’ve brought the cavalry with us,” Harry babbles, and Eggsy swears the man sounds frightened. “Merlin, if you’re done cleaning shop, could you so kindly tell the medical evac team to hurry the hell up. Galahad is in need of immediate medical attention.”

 

Roxy is suddenly beside them. “He’s losing a lot of blood.” There’s a field bandage pressed against his chest.

 

“We need to get him flat on his back,” Harry murmurs.

 

Just like that the fight goes out of him. Eggsy can feel all of the tension leaving his body and he slumps further to the side, knowing he is finally safe.

 

“Galahad, you must remain conscious for the time being, we need to assess how much blood you’ve…”

 

Roxy’s sharp inhale interrupts whatever Harry was about to say.

 

“His hands.”

 

Eggsy tries to smile when Harry cusses and shouts at Merlin and the evac team through his glasses. There’s a hand at his wrist, and he knows that Harry is surveying the damage. He can feel his consciousness leaving him, and with the last burst of energy he has, Eggsy pushes himself up and leans forward until his forehead presses against Harry’s.

 

The man looks confused, but Eggsy figures this may be his last chance to tell the man…

 

“’m sorry.”

 

He tries to fight the tunnel vision, but in the end, the last thing he hears before consciousness leaves him all together is Harry yelling his name, and Roxy screaming obscenities at Merlin.

 

Not a bad way to go.


End file.
